1. Technical Field
This document relates to methods and materials involved in detecting and delivering neurochemical signals, electrophysiological signals, ions, or combinations thereof within a mammal. For example, this document relates to methods and materials for using an implantable device containing probes to detect neurochemical signals (e.g., neurotransmitter concentrations), electrical signals, ions, or combinations thereof within one region of a mammal's brain and an implantable device containing electrodes and microfluidic delivery components to deliver neurochemical signals (e.g., neurotransmitters), electrical signals, ions, or combinations thereof to another location within the mammal (e.g., in the brain, spinal cord region, peripheral nervous system, or a muscle region within a mammal).
2. Background Information
The brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system use electrical and chemical signaling to control movements and processes within a mammal. In some cases, artificial electrical stimulation can be performed within a mammal's brain to treat certain conditions. For example, deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery, a neurosurgical intervention procedure, can be used to treat single or multiple disorders, including Parkinson's disease (PD), tremor, dystonia, depression, and chronic pain. Several theories have been proposed to account for the therapeutic action of DBS, some of which are based on the stimulation evoked release of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, glutamate, GABA, and adenosine from proximal and distal brain nuclei.